Canada Customs unveils its own pre-note timeframes

OTTAWA, (July 23, 2003) – Canada Customs and Revenue Agency has unveiled proposed new timeframes for advance cargo reporting for goods being imported into Canada.

Under the CCRA proposal, data concerning truck shipments destined for Canada must be sent to Customs one hour prior to arrival at the border. No advance reporting is required for shipments approved through Free and Secure Trade (FAST) — a bilateral, electronic pre-clearance program between Canadian and U.S. customs agencies and immigration departments. The program offers pre-approved shippers, carriers, and drivers expedited clearance processes for commercial shipments crossing the border both north and south and provides a FAST lane for trucks wherever possible.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced its own proposed timeframes earlier this week. After intense lobbying by just-in-time trucking companies, industry associations, and the big three automakers, U.S. Customs scrapped a controversial “strawman” proposal that would have required shippers and carriers to submit cargo data four hours before a truck is loaded in Canada for shipment to the U.S., and 24 hours prior to loading a truck in the U.S. destined for Canada. With the new proposal, data for FAST-approved, U.S.-bound shipments will need to be submitted only 30-minutes before arriving at the border.

CCRA also announced timeframes for other transport modes: For rail, the pre-notification timeframes are two hours prior to arrival; Marine is 24 hours prior to lading (effective April 2004); and for air — flights greater than four hours are subjected to a four-hour timeframe, and flights less than four hours must comply at the time of take off.


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